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5.28.2012

Scientists with the OSIRIS-REx mission have measure the orbit of the
asteroid 1999 RQ36 with such accuracy that they were able to determine
the drift it experiences after absorbing sunlight and re-emitting the
energy as heat.

The target asteroid is about a third of a mile in diameter (575 meters). Credit: Illustration: NASA/GSFC/UA)

Scientists with the University of Arizona-led asteroid sample return
mission OSIRIS-REx have measured the orbit of their destination
asteroid, 1999 RQ36,
with such accuracy they were able to directly determine the drift
resulting from a subtle but important force called the Yarkovsky effect
-- the slight push created when the asteroid absorbs sunlight and
re-emits that energy as heat.